Gaily History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Gaily name was coined by the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. Gaily was originally a name given to someone who worked as a galley-man. One source notes that these people were "rowers" 1 while another notes that "these were commonly called gallie-men, as men that came up in the gallies, who brought up wines and other merchandizes, which they landed in Thames-strete, at a place called Galley- key." 2

Early Origins of the Gaily family

The surname Gaily was first found in Yorkshire where Henry Galye was first listed in the Assize Rolls of 1219. Years later, Adam del Galay was listed in 1304. 1

Early History of the Gaily family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gaily research. Another 72 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1304, 1696, 1714, 1717, 1721, 1728 and 1769 are included under the topic Early Gaily History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gaily Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Gaily are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Gaily include: Galley, Gallie, Gally, Galey, Gally and others.

Early Notables of the Gaily family

Distinguished members of the family include Henry Gally (1696-1769), English divine and classical scholar, son of the Rev. Peter Gally, a French Protestant refugee, was born at Beckenham, Kent, in August 1696. He was admitted a pensioner of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, under the tuition of Mr. Fawcett...
Another 47 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gaily Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gaily migration to the United States +

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Gaily or a variant listed above:

Gaily Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Richard Gaily, who landed in Virginia in 1637 3

Gaily Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Gaily, who arrived in New York in 1813 3
Robert Gaily, aged 7, who arrived in Baltimore, Maryland in 1818 3
Mary Gaily, aged 9, who landed in New York in 1849 3
Peter Gaily, aged 35, who arrived in New York, NY in 1893 3

Gaily migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Gaily Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Flora Gaily, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1815

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)